Singular wagering apparatus for gaming device

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to single button wagering on a gaming device. A one-touch button on the gaming device is used both to place a wager and to initiate a gaming session. The wager can be a pre-set amount or an amount that is determined based the individual player, the amount of credits on the gaming device, and other conditions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This disclosure relates generally to a gaming device, and more particularly to single button wagering on the gaming device.

BACKGROUND

Playing games of chance is a popular recreational activity. There are many types of games of chance including table games where players wager against a live dealer such as blackjack, Pai Gow, roulette, Baccarat. Other types of games of chance are offered as automated machines. Examples include slots, poker, bingo, etc. Still other types of games of chance allow players to wager against one another, such as a poker table. In return for a wager, games of chance generate randomly determined outcomes, some of which result in a winning event. Games of chance are often played with wagers having financial value but some games of chance are played with points or other freely available currency having no fiscal worth.

Games of chance may be played in casinos, or at home using electronic devices or mechanical equipment. Gambling via Internet, whether for fun or for money, is also a popular activity.

Automated gaming machines typically have several wagering buttons that allow a player to select the amount of a wager. Such buttons can include a “Max Bet” button to place a wager equaling the maximum bet allowed on the machine or a “Bet One” button to place a wager equaling a single credit. Once the wager is placed, a player can then initiate a gaming session by pulling a handle or pressing a button, such as a “Spin” button. In some cases, a single button, among several buttons, can be pressed to wager a specific amount and initiate the gaming session.

One of the problems with conventional automated gaming machines is that the player has to study the machine and determine which button or buttons to press in order to place a wager and initiate the gaming session. Therefore, a player cannot simply walk up to a machine, obtain credits, and initiate a gaming session without some knowledge in advance of how the machine operates. This situation can be frustrating for a novice player or a player who does not want to spend the time necessary to become familiar with the machine. Consequently, a need remains for a mechanism by which a player can place a wager and initiate a gaming session without having any knowledge of the operation of the gaming machine.

Another problem with conventional automated gaming machines is that the player's ability to set their own wager is restricted. For example, if the player wants to play 3 credits, the player may have to press the “Bet One” button three times and then press the “Spin” button to initiate the gaming session. This can become very cumbersome for a player who intends to play for an extended period of time on multiple machines. Consequently, a need remains for a mechanism to allow a player to place a consistent wager and initiate a gaming session for multiple plays, across multiple machines.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 1B is an isometric view of the gaming device illustrated in FIG. 1A.

FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C are detail diagrams of exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device including a one-touch button, according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device including a one-touch button, according to another embodiment of the invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate example gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, a gaming device 10 is an electronic gaming machine. Although an electronic gaming machine or “slot” machine is illustrated, various other types of devices may be used to wager monetarily based credits on a game of chance in accordance with principles of the invention. The term “electronic gaming device” is meant to include various devices such as electromechanical spinning-reel type slot machines, video slot machines, and video poker machines, for instance. Other gaming devices may include computer-based gaming machines, wireless gaming devices, multi-player gaming stations, modified personal electronic gaming devices (such as cell phones), personal computers, server-based gaming terminals, and other similar devices. Although embodiments of the invention will work with all of the gaming types mentioned, for ease of illustration the present embodiments will be described in reference to the electronic gaming machine 10 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

The gaming device 10 includes a cabinet 15 housing components to operate the gaming device 10. The cabinet 15 may include a gaming display 20, a base portion 13, a top box 18, and a player interface panel 30. The gaming display 20 may include mechanical spinning reels (FIG. 2A), a video display (FIGS. 2B and 2C), or a combination of both spinning reels and a video display (not shown). The gaming cabinet 15 may also include a credit meter 27 and a coin-in or bet meter 28. The credit meter 27 may indicate the total number of credits remaining on the gaming device 10 that are eligible to be wagered. In some embodiments, the credit meter 27 may reflect a monetary unit, such as dollars. However, it is often preferable to have the credit meter 27 reflect a number of ‘credits,’ rather than a monetary unit. The bet meter 28 may indicate the amount of credits to be wagered on a particular game. Thus, for each game, the player transfers the amount that he or she wants to wager from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28. In some embodiments, various other meters may be present, such as meters reflecting amounts won, amounts paid, or the like. In embodiments where the gaming display 20 is a video monitor, the information indicated on the credit meters may be shown on the gaming display itself 20 (FIG. 2B).

The base portion 13 may include a lighted panel 14, a coin return (not shown), and a gaming handle 12 operable on a partially rotating pivot joint 11. The game handle 12 is traditionally included on mechanical spinning-reel games, where the handle may be pulled toward a player to initiate the spinning of reels 22 after placement of a wager. The top box 18 may include a lighted panel 17, a video display (such as an LCD monitor), a mechanical bonus device (not shown), and a candle light indicator 19. The player interface panel 30 may include various devices so that a player can interact with the gaming device 10.

The player interface panel 30 may include one or more game buttons 32 that can be actuated by the player to cause the gaming device 10 to perform a specific action. For example, some of the game buttons 32 may cause the gaming device 10 to bet a credit to be wagered during the next game, change the number of lines being played on a multi-line game, cash out the credits remaining on the gaming device (as indicated on the credit meter 27), or request assistance from casino personnel, such as by lighting the candle 19. In addition, the player interface panel 30 may include one or more game actuating buttons 33. The game actuating buttons 33 may initiate a game with a pre-specified amount of credits. On some gaming devices 10 a “Max Bet” game actuating button 33 may be included that places the maximum credit wager on a game and initiates the game. The player interface panel 30 may further include a bill acceptor 37 and a ticket printer 38. The bill acceptor 37 may accept and validate paper money or previously printed tickets with a credit balance. The ticket printer 38 may print out tickets reflecting the balance of the credits that remain on the gaming device 10 when a player cashes out by pressing one of the game buttons 32 programmed to cause a ‘cashout.’ These tickets may be inserted into other gaming machines or redeemed at a cashier station or kiosk for cash.

The gaming device 10 may also include one or more speakers 26 to transmit auditory information or sounds to the player. The auditory information may include specific sounds associated with particular events that occur during game play on the gaming device 10. For example, a particularly festive sound may be played during a large win or when a bonus is triggered. The speakers 26 may also transmit “attract” sounds to entice nearby players when the game is not currently being played.

The gaming device 10 may further include a secondary display 25. This secondary display 25 may be a vacuum fluorescent display (VFD), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT), a plasma screen, or the like. The secondary display 25 may show ancillary information to the player. For example, the secondary display 25 may show player tracking information, secondary bonus information, advertisements, or player selectable game options.

The gaming device 10 includes a microprocessor 40 that controls operation of the gaming device 10. If the gaming device 10 is a standalone gaming device, the microprocessor 40 may control virtually all of the operations of the gaming devices and attached equipment, such as operating game logic stored in memory (not shown) as firmware, controlling the display 20 to represent the outcome of a game, communicate with the other peripheral devices (such as the bill acceptor 37), and orchestrating the lighting and sound emanating from the gaming device 10. In other embodiments where the gaming device 10 is coupled to a network 50, as described below, the microprocessor 40 may have different tasks depending on the setup and function of the gaming device. For example, the microprocessor 40 may be responsible for running the base game of the gaming device and executing instructions received over the network 50 from a bonus server or player tracking server. In a server-based gaming setup, the microprocessor 40 may act as a terminal to execute instructions from a remote server that is running game play on the gaming device.

The microprocessor 40 may be coupled to a machine communication interface (MCI) 42 that connects the gaming device 10 to a gaming network 50. The MCI 42 may be coupled to the microprocessor 40 through a serial connection, a parallel connection, an optical connection, or in some cases a wireless connection. The gaming device 10 may include memory 41 (MEM), such as a random access memory (RAM), coupled to the microprocessor 40 and which can be used to store gaming information, such as storing total coin-in statistics about a present or past gaming session, which can be communicated to a remote server or database through the MCI 42. The MCI 42 may also facilitate communication between the network 50 and the secondary display 25 or a player tracking unit 45 housed in the gaming cabinet 15.

The player tracking unit 45 may include an identification device 46 and one or more buttons 47 associated with the player tracking unit 45. The identification device 46 serves to identify a player, by, for example, reading a player-tracking device, such as a player tracking card that is issued by the casino to individual players who choose to have such a card. The identification device 46 may instead, or additionally, identify players through other methods. Player tracking systems using player tracking cards and card readers 46 are known in the art. Briefly summarizing such a system, a player registers with the casino prior to commencing gaming. The casino issues a unique player-tracking card to the player and opens a corresponding player account that is stored on a server or host computer, described below with reference to FIG. 3. The player account may include the player's name and mailing address and other information of interest to the casino in connection with marketing efforts. Prior to playing one of the gaming devices in the casino, the player inserts the player tracking card into the identification device 46 thus permitting the casino to track player activity, such as amounts wagered, credits won, and rate of play.

To induce the player to use the card and be an identified player, the casino may award each player points proportional to the money or credits wagered by the player. Players typically accrue points at a rate related to the amount wagered, although other factors may cause the casino to award the player various amounts. The points may be displayed on the secondary display 25 or using other methods. In conventional player tracking systems, the player may take his or her card to a special desk in the casino where a casino employee scans the card to determine how many accrued points are in the player's account. The player may redeem points for selected merchandise, meals in casino restaurants, or the like, which each have assigned point values. In some player tracking systems, the player may use the secondary display 25 to access their player tracking account, such as to check a total number of points, redeem points for various services, make changes to their account, or download promotional credits to the gaming device 10. In other embodiments, the identification device 46 may read other identifying cards (such as driver licenses, credit cards, etc.) to identify a player and match them to a corresponding player tracking account. Although FIG. 1A shows the player tracking unit 45 with a card reader as the identification device 46, other embodiments may include a player tracking unit 45 with a biometric scanner, PIN code acceptor, or other methods of identifying a player to pair the player with their player tracking account.

During typical play on a gaming device 10, a player plays a game by placing a wager and then initiating a gaming session. The player may initially insert monetary bills or previously printed tickets with a credit value into the bill acceptor 37. The player may also put coins into a coin acceptor (not shown) or a credit card into a card reader/authorizer (not shown). The credit meter 27 displays the numeric credit value of the money inserted dependent on the denomination of the gaming device 10. That is, if the gaming device 10 is a nickel slot machine and a $20 bill inserted into the bill acceptor 37, the credit meter will reflect 400 credits or one credit for each nickel of the inserted twenty dollars. For gaming devices 10 that support multiple denominations, the credit meter 27 will reflect the amount of credits relative to the denomination selected. Thus, in the above example, if a penny denomination is selected after the $20 is inserted the credit meter will change from 400 credits to 2000 credits.

A wager may be placed by pushing one or more of the game buttons 32, which may be reflected on the bet meter 28. That is, the player can generally depress a “bet one” button (one of the buttons on the player interface panel 30, such as 32), which transfers one credit from the credit meter 27 to the bet meter 28. Each time the button 32 is depressed an additional single credit transfers to the bet meter 28 up to a maximum bet that can be placed on a single play of the electronic gaming device 10. The gaming session may be initiated by pulling the gaming handle 12 or depressing the spin button 33. On some gaming devices 10, a “max bet” button (another one of the buttons 32 on the player interface panel 30) may be depressed to wager the maximum number of credits supported by the gaming device 10 and initiate a gaming session.

If the gaming session does not result in any winning combination, the process of placing a wager may be repeated by the player. Alternatively, the player may cash out any remaining credits on the credit meter 27 by depressing the “cash-out” button (another button 32 on the player interface panel 30), which causes the credits on the credit meter 27 to be paid out in the form of a ticket through the ticket printer 38, or may be paid out in the form of returning coins from a coin hopper (not shown) to a coin return tray.

If instead a winning combination (win) appears on the display 20, the award corresponding to the winning combination is immediately applied to the credit meter 27. For example, if the gaming device 10 is a slot machine, a winning combination of symbols 23 may land on a played payline on reels 22. If any bonus games are initiated, the gaming device 10 may enter into a bonus mode or simply award the player with a bonus amount of credits that are applied to the credit meter 27.

FIGS. 2A to 2C illustrate exemplary types of gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. FIG. 2A illustrates an example spinning-reel gaming machine 10A, FIG. 2B illustrates an example video slot machine 10B, and FIG. 2C illustrates an example video poker machine 10C.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a spinning-reel gaming machine 10A includes a gaming display 20A having a plurality of mechanical spinning reels 22A. Typically, spinning-reel gaming machines 10A have three to five spinning reels 22A. Each of the spinning reels 22A has multiple symbols 23A that may be separated by blank areas on the spinning reels 22A, although the presence of blank areas typically depends on the number of reels 22A present in the gaming device 10A and the number of different symbols 23A that may appear on the spinning reels 22A. Each of the symbols 22A or blank areas makes up a “stop” on the spinning reel 22A where the reel 22A comes to rest after a spin. Although the spinning reels 22A of various games 10A may have various numbers of stops, many conventional spinning-reel gaming devices 10A have reels 22A with twenty two stops.

During game play, the spinning reels 22A may be controlled by stepper motors (not shown) under the direction of the microprocessor 40 (FIG. 1A). Thus, although the spinning-reel gaming device 10A has mechanical based spinning reels 22A, the movement of the reels themselves is electronically controlled to spin and stop. This electronic control is advantageous because it allows a virtual reel strip to be stored in the memory 41 of the gaming device 10A, where various “virtual stops” are mapped to each physical stop on the physical reel 22A. This mapping allows the gaming device 10A to establish greater awards and bonuses available to the player because of the increased number of possible combinations afforded by the virtual reel strips.

A gaming session on a spinning reel slot machine 10A typically includes the player pressing the “bet-one” button (one of the game buttons 32A) to wager a desired number of credits followed by pulling the gaming handle 12 (FIGS. 1A, 1B) or pressing the spin button 33A to spin the reels 22A. Alternatively, the player may simply press the “max-bet” button (another one of the game buttons 32A) to both wager the maximum number of credits permitted and initiate the spinning of the reels 22A. The spinning reels 22A may all stop at the same time or may individually stop one after another (typically from left to right) to build player anticipation. Because the display 20A usually cannot be physically modified, some spinning reel slot machines 10A include an electronic display screen in the top box 18 (FIG. 1B), a mechanical bonus mechanism in the top box 18, or a secondary display 25 (FIG. 1A) to execute a bonus.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a video gaming machine 10B may include a video display 20B to display virtual spinning reels 22B and various other gaming information 21B. The video display 20B may be a CRT, LCD, plasma screen, or the like. It is usually preferable that the video display 20B be a touchscreen to accept player input. A number of symbols 23A appear on each of the virtual spinning reels 22B. Although FIG. 2B shows five virtual spinning reels 22B, the flexibility of the video display 20B allows for various reel 22B and game configurations. For example, some video slot games 10B spin reels for each individual symbol position (or stop) that appears on the video display 20B. That is, each symbol position on the screen is independent of every other position during the gaming sessions. In these types of games, very large numbers of pay lines or multiple super scatter pays can be utilized since similar symbols could appear at every symbol position on the video display 20B. On the other hand, other video slot games 10B more closely resemble the mechanical spinning reel games where symbols that are vertically adjacent to each other are part of the same continuous virtual spinning reel 22B.

Because the virtual spinning reels 22B, by virtue of being computer implemented, can have almost any number of stops on a reel strip, it is much easier to have a greater variety of displayed outcomes as compared to spinning-reel slot machines 10A (FIG. 2A) that have a fixed number of physical stops on each spinning reel 22A.

With the possible increases in reel 22B numbers and configurations over the mechanical gaming device 10A, video gaming devices 10B often have multiple paylines 24 that may be played. By having more paylines 24 available to play, the player may be more likely to have a winning combination when the reels 22B stop and the gaming session ends. However, since the player typically must wager at least a minimum number of credits to enable each payline 24 to be eligible for winning, the overall odds of winning are not much different, if at all, than if the player is wagering only on a single payline. For example, in a five line game, the player may bet one credit per payline 24 and be eligible for winning symbol combinations that appear on any of the five played paylines 24. This gives a total of five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines 24. If, on the other hand, the player only wagers one credit on one payline 24, but plays five gaming sessions, the odds of winning would be identical as above: five credits wagered and five possible winning paylines 24.

Because the video display 20B can easily modify the image output by the video display 20B, bonuses, such as second screen bonuses are relatively easy to award on the video slot game 10B. That is, if a bonus is triggered during game play, the video display 20B may simply store the resulting screen shot in memory and display a bonus sequence on the video display 20B. After the bonus sequence is completed, the video display 20B may then retrieve the previous screen shot and information from memory, and re-display that image.

Also, as mentioned above, the video display 20B may allow various other game information 21B to be displayed. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, banner information may be displayed above the spinning reels 22B to inform the player, perhaps, which symbol combination is needed to trigger a bonus. Also, instead of providing a separate credit meter 27 (FIG. 1A) and bet meter 28, the same information can instead be displayed on the video display 20B. In addition, “soft buttons” 29B such as a “spin” button or “help/see pays” button may be built using the touch screen video display 20B. Such customization and ease of changing the image shown on the display 20B adds to the flexibility of the game 10B.

Even with the improved flexibility afforded by the video display 20B, several physical buttons 32B and 33B are usually provided on video slot machines 10B. These buttons may include game buttons 32B that allow a player to choose the number of paylines 24 he or she would like to play and the number of credits wagered on each payline 24. In addition, a max bet button (one of the game buttons 32B) allows a player to place a maximum credit wager on the maximum number of available paylines 24 and initiate a gaming session. A repeat bet or spin button 33B may also be used to initiate each gaming session when the max bet button is not used.

Referring to FIG. 2C, a video poker gaming device 10C may include a video display 20C that is physically similar to the video display 20B shown in FIG. 2B. The video display 20C may show a poker hand of five cards 23C and various other player information 21C including a paytable for various winning hands, as well as a plurality of player selectable soft buttons 29C. The video display 20C may present a poker hand of five cards 23C and various other player information 21C including a number of player selectable soft (touch-screen) buttons 29C and a paytable for various winning hands. Although the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3C shows only one hand of poker on the video display 20C, various other video poker machines 10C may show several poker hands (multi-hand poker). Typically, video poker machines 10C play “draw” poker in which a player is dealt a hand of five cards, has the opportunity to hold any combination of those five cards, and then draws new cards to replace the discarded ones. All pays are usually given for winning combinations resulting from the final hand, although some video poker games 10C may give bonus credits for certain combinations received on the first hand before the draw. In the example shown in FIG. 2C a player has been dealt two aces, a three, a six, and a nine. The video poker game 10C may provide a bonus or payout for the player having been dealt the pair of aces, even before the player decides what to discard in the draw. Since pairs, three of a kind, etc. are typically needed for wins, a player would likely hold the two aces that have been dealt and draw three cards to replace the three, six, and nine in the hope of receiving additional aces or other cards leading to a winning combination with a higher award amount. After the draw and revealing of the final hand, the video poker game 10C typically awards any credits won to the credit meter.

The player selectable soft buttons 29C appearing on the screen respectively correspond to each card on the video display 20C. These soft buttons 29C allow players to select specific cards on the video display 20C such that the card corresponding to the selected soft button is “held” before the draw. Typically, video poker machines 10C also include physical game buttons 32C that correspond to the cards in the hand and may be selected to hold a corresponding card. A deal/draw button 33C may also be included to initiate a gaming session after credits have been wagered (with a bet button 32C, for example) and to draw any cards not held after the first hand is displayed.

Although examples of a spinning reel slot machine 10A, a video slot machine 10B, and a video poker machine 10C have been illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2C, gaming machines various other types of gaming devices known in the art are contemplated and are within the scope of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating networked gaming devices according to embodiments of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3, multiple electronic gaming devices (EGMs) 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 may be coupled to one another and coupled to a remote server 80 through a network 50. For ease of understanding, gaming devices or EGMs 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 are generically referred to as EGMs 70-75. The term EGMs 70-75, however, may refer to any combination of one or more of EGMs 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75. Additionally, the gaming server 80 may be coupled to one or more gaming databases 90. These gaming network 50 connections may allow multiple gaming devices 70-75 to remain in communication with one another during particular gaming modes such as tournament play or remote head-to-head play. Although some of the gaming devices 70-75 coupled on the gaming network 50 may resemble the gaming devices 10, 10A, 10B, and 10C shown in FIGS. 1A-1B and 2A-2C, other coupled gaming devices 70-75 may include differently configured gaming devices. For example, the gaming devices 70-75 may include traditional slot machines 75 directly coupled to the network 50, banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50, banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network through a bank controller 60, wireless handheld gaming machines 72 and cell phones 73 coupled to the gaming network 50 through one or more wireless routers or antennas 61, personal computers 74 coupled to the network 50 through the internet 62, and banks of gaming devices 71 coupled to the network through one or more optical connection lines 64. Additionally, some of the traditional gaming devices 70, 71, and 75 may include electronic gaming tables, multi-station gaming devices, or electronic components operating in conjunction with non-gaming components, such as automatic card readers, chip readers, and chip counters, for example.

Gaming devices 71 coupled over an optical line 64 may be remote gaming devices in a different location or casino. The optical line 64 may be coupled to the gaming network 50 through an electronic to optical signal converter 63 and may be coupled to the gaming devices 71 through an optical to electronic signal converter 65. The banks of gaming devices 70 coupled to the network 50 may be coupled through a bank controller 60 for compatibility purposes, for local organization and control, or for signal buffering purposes. The network 50 may include serial or parallel signal transmission lines and carry data in accordance with data transfer protocols such as Ethernet transmission lines, firewire lines, USB lines, or other communication protocols. Although not shown in FIG. 3, substantially the entire network 50 may be made of optical lines 64 or may be a wireless network.

As mentioned above, each gaming device 70-75 may have an individual processor 40 (FIG. 1A) and memory 41 to run and control game play on the gaming device 70-75, or some of the gaming devices 70-75 may be terminals that are run by a remote server 80 in a server based gaming environment. Server based gaming environments may be advantageous to casinos by allowing fast downloading of particular game types or themes based on casino preference or player selection. Additionally, tournament based games, linked games, and certain game types, such as BINGO or keno may benefit from at least some server 80 based control.

Thus, in some embodiments, the network 50, server 80, and database 90 may be dedicated to communications regarding specific game or tournament play. In other embodiments, however, the network 50, server 80, and database 90 may be part of a player tracking network. For player tracking capabilities, when a player inserts a player tracking card in the card reader 46 (FIG. 1A), the player tracking unit 45 sends player identification information obtained on the card reader 46 through the MCI 42 over the network 50 to the player tracking server 80, where the player identification information is compared to player information records on in the player database 90 to provide the player with information regarding their player accounts or other features at the gaming device 10 where the player is wagering. Additionally, multiple databases 90 and/or servers 80 may be present and coupled to one or more networks 50 to provide a variety of gaming services, such as both game/tournament data and player tracking data.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the player does not necessarily have to insert a player tracking card into the card reader 46 in order to identify themselves to the gaming device 10. For example, the player might have a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device and the gaming device 10 may have an RFID receiver unit, possibly in MCI 42. The player's RFID device can be an RFID enabled card. The RFID receiver unit can also be located outside of the gaming device 10 so that a single RFID receiver can serve to identify players on multiple gaming devices.

The various systems described with reference to FIGS. 1-3 can be used in a number of ways. For instance, the systems can be used to track data about various players. The tracked data can be used by the casino to provide additional benefits to players, such as extra bonuses or extra benefits such as bonus games and other benefits as described above. These added benefits further entice the players to play at the casino that provides the benefits.

According to some embodiments of the invention, a gaming device 10 includes a one-touch button. The one-touch button enables various functionality depending on the design of the gaming device 10. However, at a minimum, the one-touch button places a wager and initiates a gaming session. In this way, the one-touch button can be similar to the “Max Bet” button described above, except that the one-touch button does not necessarily wager the maximum bet.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device including a one-touch button, according to an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the gaming device 10 includes an associated player interface panel 30. The player interface panel 30 includes a one-touch button 34. The player interface panel 30 can be located on the gaming device 10, in the vicinity of the gaming device 10 (for example, on a tethered cord), or separate from the gaming device 10. According to this embodiment, the player interface panel 30 does not include any other buttons for wagering (such as a “Bet One” button) or initiating a gaming session (such as a “Spin” button). However, the player interface panel 30 may include other buttons such as a “Cashout” button and/or a “Service” button. When the player interface panel 30, including the one-touch button 34, is separate from the gaming device 10, the player interface panel 30 may be carried by a player. For example, the player interface panel 30 can be a remote device carried by the player that becomes associated with a gaming device 10 when the player ‘aims’ the remote device at the gaming device 10 and pushes an associate button. The associate button can be the one-touch button 34 or a separate button.

During typical play on the gaming device 10, a player obtains credits and then presses the one-touch button. The player may obtain credits by inserting monetary bills, previously printed tickets with a credit value, coins, a credit card, or a player card into gaming device 10. The player may also obtain credits by providing some identifying information (such as a PIN) to the gaming device 10. However obtained, the credits can then be displayed on the credit meter 27. Once the player has obtained the credits, a wager is placed and a gaming session is initiated simply by pushing the one touch button 34.

The amount of the wager can depend on several factors. For instance, if the credits obtained by the player are less than the maximum bet available on the gaming device 10, the one-touch button can wager all of the credits. Alternatively, the one-touch button can wager only a single credit. If the credits obtained by the player exceed the maximum bet available on the gaming device 10, the one-touch button can wager credits sufficient to meet the maximum bet or a single credit.

In the event the player has provided identifying information to the gaming device 10 (by inserting a credit card, inserting a player card, or entering a PIN, for example), the amount of the wager can be a pre-determined amount set by the player. For instance, if the player uses a player card to obtain credits, the player card is associated with a player account, as described above. The player account can contain data indicating the amount to be wagered any time the player pushes a one-touch button on a gaming device. Such data may be called a one-touch wager amount. The one-touch wager amount can be set by the player when the player sets up the player account or when the player obtains the player card. Further, the one-touch wager amount can be set and/or modified at any gaming device that has an interface for updating a player account and at a kiosk for managing player accounts.

In detail, when the player provides the identifying information to the gaming device 10, the gaming device 10 can query a gaming server 80 on a network 50. The query can include the identifying information. The gaming server 80 can respond to the query by providing player information from the player account to the gaming device 10. The player information can include the one-touch wager amount. The gaming device 10 can store the player information in the memory 41, but this is not required. Once the gaming device 10 has the player information, the gaming device 10 can set the wager amount associated with the one-touch button to the one-touch wager amount specified in the player account.

In addition to the one-touch wager amount, the player account can also include a one-touch wager policy. The one-touch wager policy can be used to establish the one-touch wager amount for any given gaming session depending on factors identified in the one-touch wager policy. For example, the one-touch wager policy can indicate that if the total amount of money available in the player account is less than a specific amount, the one-touch wager amount will be set to a single credit, but if the total amount of money available in the player account is greater than the specific amount, the one-touch wager amount will be set to the maximum bet available on the gaming device. There are many other factors that could be used in the one-touch wager policy including, for example, the time of day, the day of the week, trends in the total amount of money available in the player account, and the like.

The one-touch wager policy can also be tailored to match the perceptions and/or superstitions of the player. For example, some players might believe that if they have had a certain number of plays without winning, successive plays are more likely to result in a win. The one-touch wager policy can account for such player perceptions. Specifically, the one-touch wager policy can change the one-touch wager amount based on: the number of previous plays by the player without a win; the number of previous plays (by any player) on a given machine without a win; the payout on a given machine in a given time interval preceding the player's play; and/or the recent payouts of neighboring machines to the one the player is using.

The one-touch wager policy can also be used when the player is initiating gaming sessions on multiple gaming devices using the one-touch buttons on each of the gaming devices. For example, a player might be initiating gaming sessions on four neighboring gaming devices. The one-touch wager policy can specify that the one-touch wager amount for each gaming device is one-fourth of the player's usual one-touch wager amount. Alternatively, the one-touch wager policy can specify that the one-touch wager amount on each gaming device will depend on some factor specific to the gaming device, such as proximity to the door, plays since last payout, and the like. Finally, the one-touch wager policy can simply specify that when the player is using multiple gaming devices, the one-touch wager amount will be an evenly-divided fraction of a specified amount. A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that there are many other possibilities available for the one-touch wager policy to set the one-touch wager amount when the player is using multiple gaming devices.

The server 80 and the network 50 can also be used to set the wager amount even if the player has not provided identifying information. For example, the server 80 may provide a default wager amount associated with one-touch buttons on several gaming machines connected to the network 50. Each gaming machine may query the server 80 at periodic intervals to determine the default wager amount to be associated with its respective one-touch button. In this way, the server 80 can change the default wager amount according to circumstances like the time of day or the day of the week. Also, the server 80 could operate under a ‘push model’ in which default wager amounts to be associated with the gaming machines are sent to the gaming machines without the gaming machines querying the server 80. Using the push model, an administrator can set the default wager amount and direct the server 80 to update all of the gaming machines on the network 50, or a sub-set or bank of gaming machines, with the new default wager amount. The wager amount set by the server 80 can also be controlled by policies that are stored at the server 80. The policies can be used to automatically set the wager amount based on factors such as the time of day, day of the week, number of current gaming sessions, special events, and the like.

Using the one-touch button 34 of the present embodiment, a player does not need to spend any time determining how to operate the gaming device 10. The player can simply obtain credits and then push the one-touch button to both place a wager and initiate a gaming session.

From time to time during game play, a player may receive a bonus. The bonus might provide a bonus gaming session on a separate part of the gaming device 10, such as the top box 18, or it might provide a secondary screen containing a bonus gaming session on a video display. In some cases, the player may need to initiate the bonus gaming session once the player has received the bonus. In this case, the player can use the one-touch button to initiate the bonus gaming session. Some bonus gaming sessions may also require the player to push a button to stop the bonus gaming session. For example, the bonus gaming session may include a spinning pointer over a wheel of possible prizes and the player has to push a stop button to get the pointer to stop. The one-touch button can also be used to stop the bonus gaming session. In other words, when the player pushes the one-touch button a first time, the bonus gaming session initiates and when the player pushes the one-touch button a second time, the bonus gaming session stops.

On some gaming devices, buttons can be used to both initiate the gaming session and to stop the gaming session. For example, a spinning-reel type slot machine may have a “Spin” button to start the reels spinning and a “Stop” button to stop the reels. According to embodiments of the invention, the one-touch button can be used to both initiate the gaming session and to stop the gaming session. Specifically, a player can press the one-touch button a first time to place the wager and initiate the gaming session and then the player can press the one-touch button a second time to stop the gaming session.

Although described above as a button on the player interface panel 30, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the one-touch button could be a region of a touch screen rather than a physical button.

As described above, the one-touch button 34 provides advantages in simplicity of game play because the player does not have to separately place a wager and initiate a gaming session. However, the advantages of the one-touch button can also be achieved when the one-touch button is combined with other wagering buttons on a player interface panel.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram that illustrates a gaming device including a one-touch button, according to another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the gaming device 10 includes a player interface panel 30. The player interface panel 30 includes a one-touch button 34 and wagering buttons 32. The wagering buttons 32 can include a “Bet One” button and a “Max Bet” button as well as other types of wagering buttons. However, according to some embodiments, the one-touch button 34 replaces the functionality of the “Max Bet” button, and thus the “Max Bet” button is not included on the player interface panel 30. The player interface panel 30 may also include other buttons such as a “Cashout” button, a “Spin” button and/or a “Service” button.

Game play on the gaming device 10 according to this embodiment proceeds similarly to the embodiments described above with respect to FIG. 4. However, in this case, the player can choose to use the one-touch button 34 to place a wager and initiate a gaming session or use the other wagering buttons to place the wager and the “Spin” button to initiate the gaming session. Choosing the one-touch button 34 can result in a variety of different wager amounts being placed, as described above with respect to FIG. 4. Also, choosing the one-touch button 34 can result in placing a default wager. The default wager amount can be one credit, the maximum bet available on the machine, or some other pre-determined number of credits. The default wager amount can be adjusted by the gaming device 10 based on the time of day, the day of the week, and/or other factors. Also, the default wager amount can be set by the server 80 over the network 50 so that the default wager amounts on many different gaming devices, or banks of gaming devices, can be changed simultaneously or over time, as described above with respect to FIG. 4. The gaming device 10 may include an indicator in the gaming display notifying the player of the current status of the default wager. The default wager amount can be managed by a default wager policy. The default wager policy can be enforced at the server 80 or it can be enforced at the gaming device 10. The default wager policy can set the default wager amount according to naturally occurring events, such as the time of day, or it can set the default wager amount based on real-time events, such as payouts on, or in the vicinity of, gaming device 10.

According to this embodiment of the invention, even if the player has a player account specifying a one-touch wager amount and/or a one touch wager policy, the player can override these wager amounts by using the wagering buttons on the gaming device 10.

The one-touch button 34 according to this embodiment can also be used to initiate a bonus gaming session. For example, if a player uses the other wagering buttons to initiate a gaming session, and the player receives a bonus during the gaming session, the player can use the one-touch button to initiate the bonus gaming session. According to embodiments of the invention, a gaming device includes a one-touch button either alone or in combination with other wagering buttons. The one-touch button can be used to place different wagers depending on the amount of credits the player has available, data contained in the player's account, and/or a default wager. The one-touch button causes a wager to be placed and a gaming session to be initiated by the touch of a single button.

A person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the player interface panel 30 can include multiple one-touch buttons 34. Each of the one-touch buttons 34 can include an indicator of an amount that will be wagered if the particular one-touch button 34 is activated by a player. For example, the gaming device 10 could include three one-touch buttons 34, with each of the buttons configured to wager a different, pre-determined (or fixed) amount and initiate a gaming session by a single push of the button. One or more of the multiple one-touch buttons 34 can be configured to place a wager as described in the embodiments above.

Some embodiments of the invention have been described above, and in addition, some specific details are shown for purposes of illustrating the inventive principles. However, numerous other arrangements may be devised in accordance with the inventive principles of this patent disclosure. Further, well known processes have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the invention. Thus, while the invention is described in conjunction with the specific embodiments illustrated in the drawings, it is not limited to these embodiments or drawings. Rather, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents that come within the scope and spirit of the inventive principles set out in the appended claims. 

1. A gaming device, comprising: a cabinet; a gaming display in the cabinet; a player interface panel associated with the gaming device; and a one-touch button on the player interface panel, wherein the one-touch button is configured to place a wager and initiate a gaming session and wherein the player interface panel does not include any wagering buttons other than the one-touch button.
 2. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the wager comprises a maximum bet available on the gaming device.
 3. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the wager comprises a single credit.
 4. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the wager comprises a total number of credits available on the gaming device.
 5. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the wager is specified by a one-touch wager amount in a player account.
 6. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the wager is specified by a one-touch wager policy in a player account.
 7. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the wager is specified by a server on a network.
 8. The gaming device of claim 7, wherein the wager is specified by a default wager policy on the server.
 9. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the one-touch button is further configured to initiate a bonus gaming session.
 10. The gaming device of claim 9, wherein the one-touch button is further configured to stop the bonus gaming session.
 11. The gaming device of claim 1, wherein the one-touch button is further configured to stop the gaming session.
 12. A gaming device, comprising: a cabinet; a gaming display in the cabinet; a player interface panel associated with the gaming device; and a one-touch button on the player interface panel, wherein the gaming device is configured to place a wager from amongst a plurality of different wagers and initiate a gaming session in response to activation of the one-touch button.
 13. The gaming device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of different wagers comprise one or more of a maximum bet available on the gaming device, a single credit, and a total number of credits available on the gaming device.
 14. The gaming device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of different wagers are specified by one or more of a one-touch wager amount in a player account, a one-touch wager policy in a player account, and a server on a network.
 15. The gaming device of claim 12, wherein the gaming device is further configured to initiate a bonus gaming session in response to activation of the one-touch button.
 16. The gaming device of claim 15, wherein the gaming device is further configured to stop the bonus gaming session in response to activation of the one-touch button.
 17. The gaming device of claim 12, wherein the gaming device is further configured to stop the gaming session in response to activation of the one-touch button.
 18. The gaming device of claim 12, further comprising one or more additional one-touch buttons, wherein the gaming device is configured to place a fixed wager and initiate a gaming session in response to activation of each of the additional one-touch buttons.
 19. A method of operating a gaming device, comprising: obtaining credits on the gaming device; and pressing a one-touch button on the gaming device, wherein pressing the one-touch button results in placing a wager from amongst a plurality of different wagers and initiating a gaming session.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein placing the wager comprises placing one or more of a maximum bet available on the gaming device, a single credit, and a total number of credits available on the gaming device.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein placing the wager comprises placing a wager specified by one or more of a one-touch wager amount in a player account, a one-touch wager policy in a player account, and a server on a network.
 22. The method of claim 19, further comprising pressing the one-touch button to initiate a bonus gaming session.
 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising pressing the one-touch button to stop the bonus gaming session.
 24. The method of claim 19, further comprising pressing the one-touch button to stop the gaming session.
 25. The method of claim 19, further comprising: storing a one-touch wager amount in a player account; and receiving the one-touch wager amount at the gaming device over a network, wherein placing the wager includes using the one-touch wager amount.
 26. The method of claim 19, further comprising: storing a one-touch wager policy in a player account; determining the one-touch wager amount based on the one-touch wager policy; and receiving the one-touch wager amount at the gaming device over a network, wherein placing the wager includes using the one-touch wager amount.
 27. A method of providing a gaming session on a gaming device, comprising: receiving credits; determining a wager associated with a one-touch button on the gaming device; receiving an activation of the one-touch button from a player; placing the wager; and initiating the gaming session.
 28. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the wager amount comprises setting the wager amount as one of a maximum bet available on the gaming device, a single credit, and a total number of the credits.
 29. The method of claim 27, wherein receiving an amount of credits comprises receiving identifying information from the player and wherein determining the wager amount comprises: determining a player account based on the identifying information; setting the wager amount based on a one-touch wager amount specified in the player account.
 30. The method of claim 27, wherein receiving an amount of credits comprises receiving identifying information from the player and wherein determining the wager amount comprises: determining a player account based on the identifying information; setting the wager amount based on a one-touch wager policy specified in the player account.
 31. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the wager amount comprises receiving the wager amount from a server on a network.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein receiving the wager amount from the server comprises receiving a default wager from the server.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the default wager is specified by a default wager policy on the server.
 34. The method of claim 27, wherein receiving an activation of the one-touch button from a player comprises receiving the activation of a first one-touch button from amongst a plurality of one-touch buttons, and wherein placing the wager comprises placing a fixed wager associated with the first one-touch button.
 35. A gaming system, comprising: one or more gaming devices; a gaming server; a network connecting the gaming server to the one or more gaming devices; a database connected to the gaming server; and a one-touch button, the one-touch button configured to place a wager from amongst a plurality of different wagers and initiate a gaming session on at least one of the gaming devices.
 36. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the wager comprises a one-touch wager amount specified in a player account in the database.
 37. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the plurality of different wagers are specified by a one-touch wager policy stored in a player account in the database.
 38. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the at least one of the gaming devices is configured to retrieve the wager from the gaming server over the network.
 39. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the gaming server is configured to transmit the wager to the at least one of the gaming devices over the network.
 40. The gaming system of claim 39, wherein the gaming server is configured to transmit a default wager to the at least one of the gaming devices over the network and wherein the wager comprises the default wager.
 41. The gaming system of claim 40, wherein the default wager is specified by a default wager policy stored in the database.
 42. The gaming system of claim 35, further comprising a kiosk, wherein the kiosk is configured to modify at least one of a one-touch wager amount and a one-touch wager policy specified in a player account stored in the database.
 43. The gaming system of claim 35, wherein the one-touch button is disposed on a player interface panel.
 44. The gaming system of claim 43, wherein the player interface panel is connected to the at least one of the gaming devices by a wireless connection.
 45. The gaming system of claim 43, wherein the player interface panel does not include any wagering buttons other than the one-touch button.
 46. A gaming device comprising: a game that generates a plurality of different outcomes responsive to initiation of the game by a player; a mechanism for receiving one of a plurality of different possible wagers on the game; and a button operatively connected to the game, the button being configured to provide the exclusive way to initiate the game and to make a predefined one of the possible wagers.
 47. The gaming device of claim 46 wherein the button is configured to provide the exclusive way to substantially simultaneously initiate the game and to make a predefined one of the possible wagers.
 48. The gaming device of claim 47 wherein the predefined one of the possible wagers comprises a wager preselected by a player of the gaming device. 